breakthrough

American  

[brayk-throo] / ˈbreɪkˌθru /

noun

• breakthroughs
  plural

1. a military movement or advance all the way through and beyond an enemy's frontline defense.

2. an act or instance of removing or surpassing an obstruction or restriction; the overcoming of a stalemate.

   The president reported a breakthrough in the treaty negotiations.

3. any significant or sudden advance, development, achievement, or increase, as in scientific knowledge or diplomacy, that removes a barrier to progress.

   The jet engine was a major breakthrough in air transport.

4. Medicine/Medical. an infection, disease, disorder, or condition that occurs in an individual despite their having received a vaccine, medication, or treatment.

   Covid breakthroughs are usually less severe than infections in unvaccinated people, indicating that the vaccine is still doing its job of combating the virus.

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adjective

1. constituting a breakthrough: Critics called it a breakthrough film.

   Their products are engineered with breakthrough technology.

   Critics called it a breakthrough film.

2. Medicine/Medical. relating to or being an infection, disease, disorder, or condition that occurs as a breakthrough: She experienced disabling breakthrough pain despite the high dose of painkillers she was taking.

   In the original vaccine trial, 89% of breakthrough infections were with a particular family of virus strains.

   She experienced disabling breakthrough pain despite the high dose of painkillers she was taking.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• breakthroughs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of breakthrough

First recorded in 1915–20; noun use of verb phrase break through

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Explanation

An amazing discovery or a huge amount of progress can be called a breakthrough. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 was a breakthrough for modern medicine. A personal breakthrough might be overcoming your fear of spiders once and for all. A bigger breakthrough, one that affects many people, is the invention of indoor plumbing. There's a sense of suddenness and drama associated with most breakthroughs. The word started out with a military meaning of literally "breaking through a barrier" in 1918. By the 1930s, it came to have the second meaning of "abrupt solution."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breakthrough breakthroughs

The breakthrough relies on what the researchers describe as the world's most intense focused continuous-wave laser.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

When his collaboration with Mr. John began, American roots rock was at the top of his personal playlist, as was reflected in the breakthrough “Tumbleweed Connection” album of 1970.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Orelien has denied allegations that he used AI on his breakthrough novel and, last week, Canadian publisher Boreal said it was standing by the 38-year-old writer.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

They signed Folger and put her to work writing the TV pilot they hope will be her Hollywood breakthrough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

“How did you know about my breakthrough with the cloud?”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Yet previous rounds of talks, including a Trump-Putin summit in Alaska in August 2025, have produced no breakthroughs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Such fundamental tests have a long history of advancing scientific understanding and contributing to technological breakthroughs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

"Watching the awareness grow around disability representation has been great to see, but breakthroughs sometimes come in pieces and moments instead of larger change," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

So, they argue, with AI: We’re at the “exotic fears” part of the debate, which always accompanies technological breakthroughs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Especially in the experience of Japanese archaeologists, China is regarded as the source of cultural breakthroughs in East Asia, such as agriculture, writing, metallurgy, and everything else of significance.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

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